The rebellious, the dissidents. The status of “foreign agent” in the Russian Federation (2012–2022)
How does the state create an enemy—and how does civil society learn to remain silent?
The Rebellious, the Dissidents is an interdisciplinary study of one of the most important tools of the Russian system of repression: the status of a “foreign agent.” The authors show how the Russian authorities spent years constructing an apparatus of control that silenced activists, journalists, NGOs, and ordinary citizens. It is a story of how the law was transformed into an instrument of fear, exclusion, and stigmatization.
The book is based on fieldwork, legal and economic analyses, and in-depth interviews with Russian activists and experts. Many of these conversations were possible only thanks to the trust of people who risked their own safety to describe what everyday life under state pressure looks like.
This is not just a story about Russia. The mechanisms described in the book—stigmatization, financial control, restrictions on the freedom of NGOs—are now emerging in other countries of the region. This places the book within the current European context and makes it a vital warning for anyone concerned with democracy, human rights, and information security.
Why it matters
- the book reveals the dismantling of independent institutions “from the inside,”
- it combines legal, political, and social perspectives,
- it is based on a unique body of empirical research,
- it explains how the stigmatization of NGOs prepared the ground for manipulation and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,
- it is one of the most comprehensive portraits of Russia’s third sector shortly before its collapse.
The Rebellious, the Dissidents is essential reading for anyone working on Russia, Eastern European politics, human rights, security, disinformation, and for all who seek to understand how contemporary authoritarian regimes strip citizens of their voices.